jrm1493

There is a course near me, an old beat up muni south of houston, that rates a 70.5/120 from the blues, and they claim it to be 6620 yards on the scorecard, which seems reasonable for that claimed yardage. Well there is no way on earth that this course is over 5800 yd from those tees. It is actually a fairly difficult course, being tight and having a lot of waste areas, small elevated greens and a 100yd bayou that you hit over on about 1/2 the holes, but it is very short. The first hole which seems to be the most exaggerated, is 340 by the scorecard but I have nearly driven the green (and I top out around 250). A handy Google maps tool I found shows blue tee to center of green to be 247m, or 270yd. That is a huge difference (maybe the source of hackers who claim to hit it 300 - 40 yards short on a hole like this they actually hit it 230). There is another par 3 that cannot be more than 100yards, even from the tips - still a surprisingly tough hole because the green is severely sloped and a full wedge just rolls back right off the front and if you manage to end up above the hole the putt downhill is almost impossible - my only birdie here was when I accidentally hit a chucked 6-iron on the green (was trying to hit a pitch with a 9-iron and grabbed the wrong club). I think they basically sent one of their redneck employees out there and just completely made up the numbers on the scorecard (they are all nice round numbers), and then convinced the USGA or whoever to give them the 70.5/120 rating probably based on that scorecard value of 6600 yards - somehow it slipped through the cracks. Pretty pathetic but I have to say it is a fun unique course for a goat farm, it was built in the 20s or 30s and it is neat to see how different the layout is from modern courses. Edit - after looking at the scorecard, nowhere does it claim that the numbers are actually yards... sneaky

95 normal, slightly over 100 when I swing too hard. Avg drive 235-250 when I hit it right. I once hit one 310 wind aided (GPS verified) with my old regular shaft driver - lost 5 yds or so with the new stiff shaft, but its a lot straighter. And those of you who claim to hit the ball 300+, I don't know who you are because I am almost never outdriven by the people I play with (have one guy that can hit it about 280 but only about 1/3 of the time, the other 2/3 are in trouble). I'm sure there are a few out there but most people really exaggerate their driver distances. My dad who is a 6 or 7 hits it the same distance as me with the same swing speed but he is more consistent and has a much better iron and wedge game (we are about equal putters) hence his lower handicap.

Yep I thought of that too... a little cheezy - after looking into it they are owned by Bridgestone which explains a lot (Japanese). If you've ever been to Japan that kind of thing is normal - just look at Srixon's name (Sumitomo Rubber Industries eXcel ONward). Its kinda funny to me how many tire companies also make golf equipment. I have Sumitomo tires on my car, but I've never actually tried their golf balls.

I was at Wal*Mart the other day and I always stop by the ball section since they have the best prices that I know of, but their selection of balls is always random so you never know what you'll find. I have recently been playing the Taylormade Burner TP and they have them for $25 - everywhere else is $27. Anyway, while I was there I noticed the Precept U-tri tour, which is a 3-piece urethane ball for $23! It was so cheap for a urethane ball (even cheaper than the e5+ which is two-piece) that I just bought a box to try them out. Haven't hit them yet but I am planning on going to the practice area tomorrow to see if they have decent check on pitches. I like the Burner TP, its long and it spins very well on full shots and putts nice but doesn't have that "check" on half shots from the fairway that you get with a urethane ball... I'm too cheap and not good enough to justify more than $2 a ball so I only get tour balls when I find them (and really I only can tell the difference on those 20-60 yd shots) Anyway, has anyone tried this Precept ball? I'll post the results of my "testing" tomorrow (assuming it doesn't rain too much). Unfortunately I don't have any Pro-V's right now to test it against so its going up against the Burner TP.

Thanks... We had to wait a little on the tee on 17 (170 par 3 into 10-15mph wind) so I added my score and realized that if I went out -1 I could shoot 79. I smoked a 4h to about 20 feet and leave my birdie putt 6 feet short - 3 putt. Then on 18 (long par 4 into the wind) I hit a good drive in the fairway and had about 170 in, but pushed my approach so I was chipping from the right front and pin was left front with a bunker in between (kidney bean shaped green). Didn't want to be too aggressive so I chipped it long and right to the back fringe and chipped again to 6 feet and 2-putted for double, so I left a whole lot on the table in just the last two holes. Just need to get those nerves under control and I think I can actually break 80.

I also recommend going used. I bought my iron set new but on closeout after it had been discontinued for a newer model, and paid $200 less than the new model which probably wasn't much different. Any of the major brand game-improvement sets should work just fine. You'll also want a used driver - some people think that you shouldn't start out with a driver but the new 460cc ones are quite forgiving and I find that I can hit driver off a tee much much better than 3w (prone to the snap-hooks with a 3w). A 3w is an option as well but honestly when you are starting out you're unlikely to hit a 3w off the deck better than a game-improvement 3I or 3H. Of course you'll need a putter (used is fine) and a new or lightly-used sand wedge (these wear out quickly). That should be enough to get you going.

Compared to most of the goat tracks I play it is. I don't like to play from the back tees, its just no fun hitting 3w or hybrid on every hole.

Just got back from shooting 83 on a decently hard course (70.6/118, 6400yd). That is my best ever by 2 strokes and I felt like I played a complete game - drove decently (though not as good as last time), chipped well, putted well, and hit some solid approaches. Lost 2 balls in the water, but both on par 5's where I got away with bogey. Last week I played and shot an 89 on a harder course, and I think I actually hit the ball better then, but I putted awful. Today I made 3 putts outside of 10 feet and only missed 1 inside 5, much much better. I got pretty nervous last week on the greens when I realized how well I was hitting it, today not until the last 2 holes (went out bogey, double, which kinda sucks). I think the round today showed me how important the short game is because my long game was actually a little worse but I scored 6 strokes better. I love the new driver - so far in 2 rounds I have only hit one out of play - and that was a long drive that trickled into water on a par 5 so I still got out with a bogey. So much more in control than my old one which had a regular flex shaft.

98 - 69.8/123 106 - 70.5/125 89 - 70.4/125 83 - 70.6/118 a spread of 23 between the best and worse... the 83 was today and its my best ever which is pretty cool.

I played yesterday and scored an 89 on one of the hardest courses in the area... I think it was my best ball striking round ever - I hit no drives out of play, which was a first for me (this was my first round with the "new" used driver in my sig). Every drive was high and straight or with a little draw. I putted terribly, which is usually the best part of my game, I think I had 4 3 putts (usually have 0 or 1), and missed 3 inside about 3 feet (hardly ever do that). My long putting was good but I think I realized how well I was playing and got nervous and started choking on the short ones. The coolest thing for me was that I was -1 on the par 5's - this course has 5 of them - 4 pars and a birdie! On the back 9 I was also even par through 5 holes, then started to lose it and ended up with a 43 (par 37 on the back). Something else funny, which I still cannot understand how this happened, was that my friend actually hit a ball backwards into a water hazard with a 5 iron. It was in thick grass about 6 inches in front of a pond and he hit it and it popped backwards about 2 feet into the water. It was one of the strangest and funniest things I've ever seen on a golf course.

Can anyone recommend an online handicap service that provide an official USGA handicap? Online appeals to me because it just seems annoying to have to deliver scorecards to a physical location; I'm an engineer so I already track everything in great detail its just not official for tournament play. It looks like Golfsmith has a decent system, but I haven't been able to find many details about how it works - If I have to turn in scorecards to a store that seems no different than going to a local course... can anyone let me know how it works? Thanks.

I've been using the burner TP the last few rounds as well and agree with these assessments. Its long and has decent check, seems to perform better given my swing speed (~95) than the tour balls. I'm not one that backs up a lot of balls but I did actually back one of these up 3 or 4 feet with the 56° a week ago, which is as much as I've ever backed up a "tour" ball - greens here are already probably in "summer" condition in the UK - today it was 86° according to my weather meter. Most shots seem to just stop dead off any short iron that is well struck, which in reality is probably a better thing than backing a ball up. I do think that LDP is pure marketing crap, however. Also agree with the putting feel, and seems to be more resistant to scuffing than a Hot Bite or TF gamer (maybe the same as the E5+).

Probably a good idea, but I think given my swing speed (94-97 avg) i really need a stiff shaft and that combo is almost impossible to find in my budget (which is pretty much limited to used clubs). So far I am seeming to hit the new driver much more consistently (today at the range I probably hit 30 drives and 75% of them would have been "good" based on where I was aiming - not necessarily in the fairway but I would have had a clear shot at the green from reasonable distance had I been playing, versus maybe 50% on a good day with my old driver. The good ones with the new driver just seem to be a bit shorter. crap, I just burned my pizza while typing this response

That is a good point - the range I go to is sloped up (for coastal Texas) beyond about 200 yd so you get very little roll on long shots unless you carry about 250 to the top of the slope - the driver definitely has a lower trajectory so it "should" get more roll although you can't tell at that range because just about everything stops within a few yards if you hit it to the upslope.

My old driver was a 10° with a regular shaft (BB 454) and I could hit it pretty good when I caught it right (maybe 230-240 carry, 260-270 or so with good roll, most ever GPS verified was a 310 wind+roll assisted). I was extremely wild with it however, and usually would go back and forth between an snap hook and then overcorrect on the next hole with a high straight push. I went to golfsmith last weekend and tried out a used X460 stiff 10° and X460 tour stiff 8.5° since I like my X 3W with stiff shaft. The tour driver was an inch shorter (44?) with a fuji E360 shaft and on the monitor it just seemed a lot more consistent. My swing speed with both was just about the same (avg 94-96, hit 100 once) and distance/traj on the good strikes pretty similar, but I think the shorter shaft and open clubface on the tour worked better for me so I bought it (so cheap I couldn't pass it up - only $70 since it had some "love" compared to $100 for the new looking X460). I have played once with it and been to the range and I really like it, much much more consistent with the new driver although I think I've lost around 10 yards, which is probably due to the stiff shaft. Strangely I am hitting it about the same height as the old regular shaft 10° 454. My question is - when I really nail my 3 wood I am probably only about 5-10 yards short of where I can hit the driver, although I am not as consistent with the 3w (sometimes I really hit a high one that probably only goes around 200-210 with little roll). Is this kinda normal? I am an "improving" 19 handicap - only been playing seriously about 16 months) so I am not the most consistent player.

I played twice today (local course had an all-you-can-play deal for $40). The first time we played the tips (7000yd, 73/129 rating) and I shot a 102, which given the rating wasn't awful for me (currently a 20.6 hdcp). The next 18 we played the senior tees (5900yd, 68.6/120) and I shot 85! That beats my best ever by 3 strokes, and only my 2nd time to break 90 on a par 72 course; sure it was the senior tees but its still a reasonably long & challenging course from back there. One other good thing was that over the entire 36 I lost one ball (snap hooked my first shot of the day OB), but I found a Pro V1 and HX 56 so I came out on top there as well...

I'd always go for taking something off the PW in that case, fewer bad things can happen. I chip with my 56; about the only time I use my 49 is when I need to fly the ball to the green and stop it dead, it's pretty good for that and more controllable than the 56.

I think its been said before, but with one major won w/GI clubs and another major runner up against the best player ever, obviously GI clubs can be used to good effect. Maybe it has something to do with tour course setup being longer and not as tight as in the past.

When I was playing on thursday we had about 30 sustained / 40 mph gusts and there was a short par 5 (white tees were up - maybe 450) playing directly downwind and the course was very hard (as in dried out not difficult). I smoked a driver to around 100 yards out and I'm not a particularly long driver (maybe 250-260 tops with no wind and normal conditions). I ended up with only a birdie after pitching over the green (not complaining) . I could easily see a big driver like my uncle getting to this hole in one from the whites (blues were back another 50 yards or so). Back in the mid 80's my uncle competed in long drive contests and could get it out there 350-360 with the technology of the day and with the wind and dry course he could have gotten it to the green on this hole (maybe not now because he's in his 50s but he could have 25 years ago).

For anyone who cares I just found on golfsmith.com that they recommend (driver swing speed) Extra-Stiff 105-plus Stiff 90-105 Regular 80-95 So I guess for me I could get away with either (and I have both since I can always hit 3w off the tee and the distance loss is only maybe 10-15yds)

Thanks for the quick reply, I think you're right and i wonder if adding the lead tape was mentally helping me (probably) or added just enough weight to the club that I wasn't overswinging as much (my driver almost just seems too light to me - definately my lightest club). I really felt so much better when I added the lead to it. I am pretty strong but not that flexible or athletic so having slightly heavier clubs might be good for me.

Finally got to golfsmith on the launch monitor this afternoon - I have been very wild with my driver recently so I wanted to see if regular vs stiff made a difference - honestly i was not consistent enough with the demo clubs to really tell (only maybe hit 15-20 balls). With driver I was in the low-mid 90's swing speed (on a full swing probably 92-95 average). Should I be hitting regular or stiff as a general rule? all of my clubs are regular flex except for my 3 wood which is stiff. I hit the 3 wood pretty well but very very low, which i like around here because of the wind. the 3 wood seems somewhat more controllable than my 3 hybrid but its hard to really say for sure because the ball flight is so different. My driver has recently been pretty out of control (regular flex) but I went to the range after golfsmith and I seem to have gotten that mostly figured out, hitting nice high draws instead of low pull-hooks with an addition of lead tape to the bottom of the toe (figure i'd try that before i buy a new driver or shaft). At times my 3 wood off the tee is just as out of control as my driver so it may have very little to do with the stiff vs regular shaft. irons are regular flex but steel and I don't think there's any need to change there, I'm very happy with them coming of my first round under 90 yesterday.

Yep, I knew I was close and I wanted to know so I figured out what I needed on the 16th tee (I needed 17 strokes or less over the last 3 holes - I went bogey-bogey-bogey for 16 strokes). Maybe if I hadn't known I wouldn't have pull-hooked my drive on 18 but the truth is that club is pretty out of control for me right now so I don't know if that had anything to do with it. Next time out I may leave the driver in my car because I'm usually solid with my 3 wood. The driver is a regular shaft and the 3 wood stiff so I might need an upgrade on the driver. I used to be more consistent with the driver but I think my swing speed has increased since I started hitting a lot of balls and I think I might need a stiff shaft (i now hit it farther but not as straight) - I'm going to go to golfsmith and get on the monitor to see what my swing speed is.

First time, I shot an 88. We played from the whites (5750 yds, 68.6/119 rating) but who cares, its still the strongest round corrected for the course rating that I've ever had. Only bad spots were terrible putting - 40 putts but I hit 9 GIRs (the greens were awful so that probably added several putts). I was also very wild with the driver but the course let me get away with some because the holes are close together and I still had shots. At least I know what I need to work on. I was deadly with my wedges and because of the length of the course I didn't get in too much trouble w/driver because I only used it maybe 8 or 9 times. On the last hole (a 485yd par 5 into 35mph gusts) I needed a 7 to shoot 89. I pulled my drive into a pond but I didn't give up. I dropped in front of the pond in the rough probably still 330-340 out and crushed a low 3 wood about 220 yards to the center of the fairway (into the wind!). Then I bladed an 8 iron but it ended up ok, about 15 yards right of the green with a trap in front (got away with that one because it stopped about 5 yards short of another pond). The pin was about 5 paces on next to the trap. I knew I had to get it close because I had been putting bad and the greens were terrible, so I opened up my 56 and hit a great flop to about 8 ft - just dropped down dead with no roll. I sunk the putt for a 6 and an 88. Great feeling!

If you're losing about 8 a round I'd go with the top flite D2 feel, its a good ball for the money (about $1 a ball). When you start to want something with a little more bite you can move up to the top flite gamer which is a similar ball but 3-piece and you won't break the bank if you lose 3 or 4 a round ($20 a dozen). I'm losing between 0 and 3 a round now and I tend to play $20-$30 dozen balls (gamers, HX hot bites or "players" balls that I find). I also usually find a good players ball each time I play so that offsets a loss. Be careful about lake balls or beat up balls you find - one time I found a Prov1 in a dried up creek and it only went about 200 off the driver (normal is 230-240) - totally waterlogged or something. I also want to try the e5+ but I haven't run out of hot bites or gamers yet.